Search form

You are here

Psychology Student scores in the 97th percentile

July 27th, 2017

A major endeavor psychology students must undergo during their studies is the Major Field Test. This is an online test created by a team of experts in the United States, and several institutions require the results of this exam for admission to their programs.

When students finish the exam they receive a percentile rank which lets them know the percentage of the test takers who scored below them.

A recent Webster Vienna graduate, Eva Smrekar, has scored in the 97th percentile which means she scored higher than 97% of the recent test takers worldwide. We sat down for a short informal interview with Eva to talk about this very important achievement

Q1: Please tell us more about the major Field Test you took. You did a wonderful job and scored in the 97th percentile! How did you prepare for this exam?

The Major Field Test tests all the knowledge you have accumulated throughout your degree, so you cannot really study for it like you do for other exams. The best way to prepare for it is by generally doing well in your psychology courses and by following the review sessions in the Senior Overview class you take in the last semester, which also are the only two things that I did. You can refresh your memory by skimming through the assigned book right before the exam, but most of the learning should happen during the course of your degree. Some questions are quite difficult and long and the answer is rarely clear at first glance, so it is a good idea to take the exam rested and try and really concentrate for those three hours. Also, since most of the time will require you to base your answers on what you have learned throughout your whole degree, do not be afraid to trust your gut - you know more than you think you do.

Q2: What are your plans after graduation?

I'm currently doing an internship in a strategic communications firm in Slovenia and then I am heading off to do a Masters of Science in Psychology of Economic Life at London School of Economics, which I am very excited about. As for what comes after that, I'll have to wait and see; I am sure that psychology will always be a big part of anything I do.

Q3: Has anyone at Webster inspired you to study harder, work harder, learn more or become the best psychologist you can be?

Definitely. Two people I would like to point out in regards to psychology are Dr. Peter Walla and Dr. Marc Mehu. They not only have an enormous amount of knowledge and research experience, they are also passionate about teaching and sharing their knowledge, which is always visible in their lectures and it really motivates the students to want to learn more and go beyond the curriculum of the class. On top of that, they are both incredibly kind and warm individuals who are always happy to help and give you their advice should you need it.

Q4: What has been your favourite memory at Webster Vienna? (Can be during your study time or of your time in this amazing city)

There have been many wonderful moments I experienced during my stay in Vienna, but the most memorable one regarding Webster would have to be completing my Bachelor Thesis. It was the first time I conducted my own research study and it significantly changed my perspective on research. You see thousands of studies and you can imagine how much work is put into each one, but I don’t think it's until you sit in a lab for dozens of hours collecting data, coding and analysing that you're able to fully comprehend just how long and difficult the process is. It gave me a whole new level of respect for those who dedicate their lives to research in order to improve our knowledge of the world.

Q5: What advice do you have for other Psychology students who will have to take this exam in the future?

Be curious and learn to love learning itself. In the end, the exam doesn't really matter, neither does its score, what matters is absorbing as much knowledge as you can from all the books, lectures and wonderful people around you during your time at Webster. Sometimes as students, we get so caught up into grades and assignments that we forget the reason why we study psychology in the first place - it's so incredibly fascinating. Come back to that moment when you discovered something interesting about human beings and thought to yourself "I want to know everything that I can about psychology". Come back to that moment and hold on to it. Learn to love the process of learning and test scores will follow on their own.

Eva Smrekar is a recent BA in Psychology graduate from Webster Vienna Private University and received her diploma on May 20th, 2017.

Webster Vienna Private University is pleased to announce the public lecture with professor Marwan M. Kraidy under the title "The Torch and the Hearth: Islamic State and the Age of Pyropolitics" will take place on March 6th, 2019 in the afternoon.